Action at Lanark

The Action at Lanark (May 1297) was the first action of William Wallace's uprising against England at the start of the Wars of Scottish Independence.

The English had garrisoned Lanark in the aftermath of the Battle of Dunbar, which allowed for the English to create garrisons across Scotland. William Heselrig, the local magistrate, ensured that the locals and the soldiers lived in harmony for a year, but the English soldier Michael Smythe's attempted rape of Murron MacClannough, the secret wife of William Wallace, led to Wallace fighting back and assisting MacClannough in escaping before he did so as well, dressed as an English soldier. MacClannough was caught before she could escape the town, however, and her throat was slit by Heselrig in front of the people of Lanark. Heselrig anticipated the return of Wallace to avenge her death, but he did not anticipate Wallace returning alone, on horseback, with his hands raised in surrender. As an English soldier grabbed the reins of Wallace's horse, Wallace drew a hidden chained mace and killed him. Wallace was unhorsed, but he proceeded to fight off the English soldiers, motivating the townspeople to take up their rudimentary weapons and join in the uprising. The English soldiers were slaughtered, and Heselrig's archers failed to hold back the Scots, as Wallace had scaled the walls and killed several of the archers by himself. The Scottish rebels then proceeded to climb over the gates and capture Heselrig and a corpoal of his, and Wallace slit Heselrig's throat on the same post on which MacClannough had been executed. The action, motivated by vengeance, soon inspired nearby clans such as the MacGregors to join forces with the rebels, and the Action at Lanark provoked a rise in support for Wallace's rebellion.